At www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/06/-mercurys-messenger-reveals-surpri… (see earlier post a few days ago). This blog post is derived from information from the Carnegie Institute and it expands a little on what the Messenger spacecraft has found out about the magnetosphere of Mercury. The Mariner 10 fly by in 1974 witnessed a burst of highly energetic particles in the magnetosphere but nothing as powerful as that has been seen by the Messenger during its 3 fly bys so far. However, bursts of energetic electrons have been seen – which were not as energetic. As Mercury hs a small magnetosphere, being a small planet without a substantial atmosphere, the generation and distribution differs, it is thought, from that of the earth. It is being suggested a double layer of plasma with large electric fields along the local magnetic field may be at work – or induction caused by rapid changes in the magnetic field, a simpler explanation, is a process that follows the principle used in generators on earth to produce electric power. This is being studied at the moment and in the course of further Messenger fly-bys.
Also on the Daily Galaxy blog – at www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/06/is-dark-matter-rather-than-light-a… is a bit of speculation described by one commenter as science fiction. It is derived from a paper in the Astrophysical Journal and the blog author asked if dark matter, which is invisible, might create conditions for life by producing warmth – in a universe generally considered to be extremely cold.
At www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/06/do-the-largest-structures-in-the-u… … and again the blog author asks an interesting question. One commenter replies that either our methods of measuring distance and speed don't apply at mega-scale or they are flat out wrong. Newton defined what he could understand. Einstein updated this and Hawking expanded on the update – but do we need a new mathematical model?
Unfortunately, many of the other commenters on this site are apparently juvenile or make no sense at all from a scientific perspective which is why I rarely suggest going there. Pity as the posts are sometimes thought provoking.